Just realized how fucked up it is that Eliza puts blood on her face to find Silas because that can only be HIS blood. Which means she bleeds her own boy, just like the hackett’s bleed their infected. Something something exploitation from the ones that “love” you to protect themselves. Ma making Travis be a crooked cop to “keep the family safe”. The entire family putting all the stress on Chris to keep this camp running in dangerous circumstances, because I’m sure he worried about someone getting out and attacking children because they did attack civilians at points. Caleb and Kaylee forced to work at their family business as children despite at the least Kaylee wanting to run away. Hmm. Hmm.
i think we as a fandom don't put enough emphasis on the fact chris did in fact eat the whole fucking camp mascot. there are drawings of ian in the lodge. with angel wings. and a halo. and a pun. clearly the campers were AWARE of ian. clearly ian was a FIXTURE at the camp.
where are the throwaway lines about chris liking burgers but preferring lambchops, hmm???
where are the cheeky nods of him describing himself as sheepish?????
Summary: Annabelle and Travis have a plan, and have fun in the process.
Author’s note: I apologize for the long, long wait. Part of the reason is because I couldn’t find a song I thought aptly fit this chapter. I now have a playlist full of potentials, but Carrie Underwood won out. Somehow I always knew it would be one of her songs. Enjoy.
…
Part 21
North Kill had one bar – a little hole in the wall named Sammy’s. It was dirty, dingy, and had been around since Jedediah Hackett was a young man. No matter the time of day there were always one or two regulars lulling about in their usual bar stools, but on karaoke nights it was standing room only.
North Kill didn’t offer much for entertainment.
“Now, for this to work you have to be… cooperative,” Annabelle had told him. “You need to seem… interested in me. Receptive to whatever I do.”
He’d leaned down to bridge the gap between them, and flashed her a predatory grin. “I think you already know I’m interested.”
Travis smirked at the memory of her blush. The evening at Frank and Darlene’s had definitely not gone as he’d expected.
“Everyone else needs to think you’re interested, too,” she’d explained. “Enough to make it impossible for me to just disappear.”
“What did you have in mind?”
This was not what Travis had expected, and the only thing he was currently interested in was finding the exit. “This isn’t going to work,” he muttered under his breath.
Annabelle leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind. “Sure it will, Sheriff. Trust me, this will work.” She gave him a quick peck on his cheek, and his body flushed with warmth.
“Stop that,” he grumbled.
He could feel her grin as she whispered into his ear, “No. Flirting was part of the plan, remember?”
Travis shifted in his chair, bringing his face dangerously close to hers. “Let me remind you I am a respected public figure in this town. My reputation - ,” his words were cut off as Annabelle closed the space between them, sliding her lips over his in a slow, sensual kiss.
“Your reputation is safe with me, Sheriff,” she said as she reluctantly pulled away. “Besides, it helps if people talk.”
Travis flushed. “Let’s just get this over with.” It was clear it would be a long night.
…………..
Annabelle hadn’t always felt comfortable singing in front of others, but when you’re a time traveler you learn to utilize whatever methods you can to keep a roof over your head and food on the table. Sean had been the first to recommend singing; it was something she excelled at, and with a little practice she was sure to overcome her stage fright.
It took a bit more than “a little practice”, but by now Annabelle was as comfortable on stage as she was off. Survival, it turned out, required a good performance, and over the years she had mastered that skill.
She had smiled down at Travis in all his sullen, ornery glory. “And what if you can’t perform?” He’d asked, draping himself in one of Darlene’s kitchen chairs.
“I can perform,” she assured him.
“Lotta people say that. You ever see So You Think You’re an Idol? That show is a train wreck.” He’d found another bottle of wine, and helped himself. He’d deduced Darlene and Frank were taking a very, very long walk.
“I can perform,” Annabelle repeated.
“If you say so,” he said, shrugging, and took another sip from his glass. “Hate for you to embarrass yourself, though. Josie Puller’s been the crowd favorite each week for the past five years, but if you’re so sure… .” He lifted the wine glass again, but Annabelle deftly pulled it out of his hand, and placed it back on the table.
“If it’s an audition you want, Sheriff,” she said, leaning in to meet his eyes, “why didn’t you just say so?”
Travis closed his eyes, and stifled a moan at the memory. Things like this did not happen to men like him. Then again, neither did werewolves and curses, so perhaps this was the universe trying to balance the scales just a touch.
“Which one is Josie Puller?” Annabelle asked, curling up behind him as she scanned the bar. Travis nodded towards the stage. A pretty middle-aged blonde with too much makeup and not enough clothes was holding the microphone. The first few notes of a country bop began, and Annabelle soon understood why Josie had the crowd wrapped around her finger. “I’m not doing that,” she said, eyes wide as Josie began gyrating to the music. Her voice was actually quite good, but she was overcompensating in other areas, and Annabelle couldn’t help but wonder if she did so out of confidence or lack thereof.
“Well, you’ll need to do something if you want to top that,” Travis replied, taking a swig of his beer as he watched Josie flip her hair over her shoulder and wink at the crowd. “I never did get that audition,” he grumbled.
Annabelle chuckled. Travis had made it very clear he was interested in… other things, but Darlene and Frank’s return had quickly squashed his plans. She laughed again, softer this time, and her fingers brushed against the back of his neck. “Poor baby,” she murmured, glancing back at the stage. Josie was almost done with her song, and she would be up next. Josie’s finale was an overly loud, off-key wail which was met with raucous applause. “Be back in a minute,” she said, standing.
Travis caught her hand tugging her back towards him so he could meet her eyes. She expected him to say something, but instead he just raised her hand to his mouth, placing a delicate kiss on the inside of her wrist. It shouldn’t have effected her so much, especially considering the atmosphere. They were surrounded by laughter, hooting and hollering, drunks, and rowdy folks who spoke too loudly, and swore too often. But the look in his dark eyes made her shiver; it reminded her of the way he’d looked at her when she’d still been living at the jail. It hadn’t been too long ago, but it felt like an eternity.
“C’mon, Travis,” a voice called from the crowd shattering the moment.
“Yeah, let ‘er sing!”
“Your mama know you got a new gal, Sheriff?”
Annabelle released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding as Travis tossed a scowl to the crowd. “Yeah, yeah,” he said, standing and readjusting his hold on her hand. “C’mon,” he muttered to her, tugging her through the throng until they were next to the stage. “Just… just do your best, okay?” He said, refusing to meet her eyes as he reluctantly let go of her hand. He paused for a moment, leaned in, and gave her a quick peck on her cheek before turning to go back to his seat. “Good luck.” The sentiment was not wasted on her, and she made a mental note to revisit this feeling later. But for now, she had a song to perform.
The song list had been an interesting one to peruse, and a glaring reminder she was not in her home universe. Thankfully, she’d found a few songs she was familiar with, and one in particular she felt would suit her voice. If things went as she’d planned this would also insure Jedadiah and Constance Hackett couldn’t up and disappear her, which was vital if she was going to help Sean and Travis with this werewolf problem.
The stage at Sammy’s wasn’t much – a small wooden stage high enough to give her a good view of the whole bar, the patrons, and one of the exits. She took all this in as the music began; Josie had chosen a fast-paced, loud anthem, so Annabelle intentionally chose a slower, more sensual song. She locked eyes with Travis who’d resumed his seat, legs crossed, beer in hand, gaze deadpan.
“Let me make one thing clear: you can buy me a beer, but you ain’t taking me home. No pick up lines, I came here tonight to shed a few tears of my own. But sitting there across the room I couldn’t help but notice you seem a little down on your luck, too. Yeah, my heart might be breakin’, but this seat ain’t taken, and you’ve got me thinkin’ we should be drinking alone!” An incline of Travis’ eyebrow was the only indication he was slightly impressed with her performance thus far. The crowd had grown quiet, and she closed her eyes, falling into the music.
*******
Travis knew she could sing, of course. He’d heard her in the jail with Sean, and while she was staying at his home. Neither of those songs sounded like this, though. Annabelle commanded the stage, her voice low, smooth, and strong reminding him of rich caramel and satin sheets. He closed his eyes at the thought, wishing he had those sheets on his bed, and the only “plan” either of them had to concoct was how soon they could get out of this bar and back to his house.
He scowled, opening his eyes. Stupid werewolves.
“Together, drowning the pain is better with somebody else who got problems. We ain’t gonna solve ‘em, but misery loves company! Tonight all I need is a stranger lips with a whiskey chaser, and a corner booth kiss that makes me forget that he’s gone. Oh, we should be drinking alone!”
She lifted the microphone, and his eyes widened a touch as began to stroll towards him. The crowd parted as she made her way towards him, and he realized this was his audition.
“Don’t know what she did to make you hurt like this, but I know just what to do.” She sauntered around his chair, dragging her fingers over his shoulders. “It starts with a bottle of good Reposado, and ends with a shooter or two.” She perched on his lap, crossing her legs as his arms snaked around her waist. “Tomorrow when the sun comes up tonight’s the night that never was, baby just forget my name,” she crooned, sliding off his lap, and backing away coyly. “Won’t be your one and only, but just ‘cause we’re lonely don’t mean that we should – we should be drinking alone!”
The crowd exploded around them in a burst of applause and cheers as she took the stage once more to finish her song, and Travis almost felt sorry for Josie. Almost.
“I’ll pretend that I care, baby pull up a chair. We’ll stay here ‘til they make us go home! We should be drinking alone.”
The song ended, and Annabelle grinned, winking at Travis as if to say, “I told you it would work.” She was right; the gossip in North Kill would be at an all-time high, and he would be right at the center of it. It would definitely make things harder on his family if they tried to get rid of Annabelle now. Maybe… He felt an odd tinge of something reminiscent to hope, and he couldn’t’ help but smile back at her. Maybe this all was going to work out. Maybe.
*******
Annabelle launched herself at him as soon as she was close enough to swing her arms around his neck, planting a solid kiss on his lips. “I told you I could perform,” she murmured.
Travis placed his hand at the back of her head, pulling her in for another kiss, and she couldn’t help but giggle. He pulled away, ignoring the cheers and catcalls, and gave her a stunning smile. “You weren’t too bad up there.”
She laughed, slapping his shoulder playfully. “Shut up, Sheriff.”
He grinned, grabbing her hand, and tugged her away from the crowd. “C’mon.” She allowed him to pull her towards the back of the bar where a dark, empty, and much quieter hallway led to the bathrooms, and the back exit.
“Where are we going?” She asked, giggling at how happy and determined he seemed.
“To get you a coffee and an apple fritter,” he teased. “Or go make out in my car. Whichever sounds better to you.” He whirled, pressing her up against the wall with a kiss. He smiled against her mouth, pulling back to look at her, running a hand over her hair then coming to gently cup her cheek. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
She smiled; his happiness was contagious. “I like you happy, Sheriff. It suits you.” He smiled, and he seemed softer now, more gentle. It really did suit him.
He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before pulling away. “C’mon. Let’s go get that fritter.” They were halfway down the hall when the back door opened, and a mountain of a man stepped through the back door.
Travis stopped so suddenly Annabelle collided with him. “Bobby,” he said softly, devoid of all their previous joy and humor.
Bobby had the grace to look ashamed of himself, casting his eyes low. “I’m real sorry, Travis.”
Annabelle could feel Travis grow tense, and he cast a quick glance back her way. “Go back to the bar. Stay on the stage. Stay….” Annabelle frowned as his face fell, a look of total defeat covering his features. She whirled on her heel to see what he saw, and two men stood blocking their exit. “Chris. Caleb. Don’t do this,” he said firmly.
“Do we have a plan?” Annabelle asked, backing up against Travis. “Or is this a fight our way out scenario?” The younger man held up a gun, and Annabelle’s eyes widened. “Oh, sh- ,” she was cut off as he fired, and Travis pushed her against the wall. She whirled to see him grasping his shoulder as he plucked a dart out of it. He gargled a profanity before his eyes rolled back and he crumpled to the ground. “TRAVIS!” She cried, falling to his side to see if he was still breathing. A rush of relief went through her as she confirmed he was, and his heart rate was normal. She whirled on her knees to confront his attackers when she felt a sharp sting in her chest. She had only a moment to pluck the dart from her body before she began to feel woozy. She tried to speak, fighting against the heaviness of her eyelids, but it was no use. She collapsed against Travis, her body feeling heavy and dull, and then the world went black.
(Okay, so it's loosely D&D based, as in I'm using classes, races, and alignments from D&D as well as a few tidbits of lore. But it's more so using that as a base for general fantasy than specifically D&D
With that out of the way, I'm going to go character by character with some overview stuff at the end
Dylan lenivy
Half-Orc Bard/Artificer Neutral/Good
His dad is an orc, and his mom is a human. He grew up with his mother in a predominantly human village. So he doesn't have a lot of connection to his orc side, in fact you never met his father. He was treated like an outsider for most of his life. He's got a lot of insecurities ✨ (especially surrounding his appearance). Dylan has put a lot of work into being charismatic. Because people tend to have strong usually negative opinions just upon seeing him, and he does his best to counter those assumptions with his charming personality. All this along with his usual fear of social rejection and general want for people to like him.
He did an internship at a local academy, which is how he learned his artificing skills (ldk if that's the actual term). His mother taught him music. She taught him all he knows; she wanted him to follow in her footsteps and become a minstrel like her. But he's always been more proficient with tech, hence why he did the internship. (also I haven't decided what instrument he plays yet, maybe viola idk)
So Dylan, struggling to find work after the internship, ran into Jacob and Kaitlyn, who were looking to become adventurers, but the local guild requires at least three people to start an adventuring party, so they asked him if you'd be interested in adventuring with them. And Dylan bored and broke decides fuck it why not? And agrees. And so they went on quests together for a bit. But then they hit a trouble spot, they needed better equipment that they could not afford, and so wound up working at 'Hackett's Quarry summer camp for gifted young mages' to make enough money to get what they needed.
Kaitlyn Ka
Tiefling Ranger Neutral/Good
Kaitlyn, being a tiefling born to elf parents, was ostracized from a young age. When she was around maybe 10 years old (or at least that maturity level because elf lifespans are different) she met Jacob, and they became friends. Jacob also didn't get along super well with the other elves, so the two made an unlikely pair of little outcasts. Which eventually becomes a trio when they start adventuring with Dylan. She is incredibly capable, an excellent shot with a crossbow, and knows a whole lot about nature. She is also definitely the only reason Jacob hasn't gotten himself killed.
Elf Barbarain Chaotic/Good
Jacob Custos
Jacob, being the lovable himbo that he is he's quite the opposite of your typical elf. As well as I imagine he wasn't really able to tap into magic, which further isolated him from his peers. He wasn't bullied or anything, people just didn't exactly understand him, no one really took the time to get to know him, until Kaitlyn.
It was primarily Jacob's idea to become adventurers. Like, Kaitlyn was absolutely down for it, but it was definitely Jacob's idea.
Half-Elf Druid Lawful/Good
Ryan Ezrahler
Ryan lives with the human side of his family, his paternal grandparents, and half sister Sarah. He is very magically gifted. However, he didn't know how to control it when he was younger. So, his grandparents sent him to 'Hackett's Quarry summer camp for gifted young mages' so he could learn how to use his magic. Ryan has always been very connected to nature, so Mr H, who it's also a druid, took Ryan under his wing. So, like in canon, Chris is a father figure to Ryan. So he's working as a counselor because he cares a lot about the Hacketts, and the camp is like a second home to him, and he wants to help any other kids who are in the same situation he was in, terrified of the magic within them because they can't control it.
Human Cleric Lawful/Good
Abigail Blyg
Abi is a very sweet church going girl who just wants to help where she can. She is training to become a cleric of the sun God. As part of the church's program, the clerics in training get paired up with the paladins in training. So, Abi was paired with Nick. The two have known each other for about 4ish years. they met when they were around 15 (I don't have an exact timeline on that yet) .They get along pretty well. An important part of their training requires them to serve their community. And what they chose to do for that was to work at ‘Hackett’s Quarry summer camp' to help the children learn to control their magic. “It's rather important to help the youth”
Human Paladin Neutral/Good
Nick Furcillo
Nick is a sun paladin in training. He, much like in canon, spends most of his time as a werewolf. He has a lot of identity and self doubt issues. He's only training to be a paladin because he feels like he has to. He's not that devoted he's just doing what he's told because he doesn't know what else to do and he doesn't want to disappoint his family.
Nick thinks he likes Abi, but it's again more of a situation where he feels like he's supposed to. Him and Abi are really good friends and are a boy and a girl, so just about everyone around them thinks that it's only a matter of time till they start dating, and make comments regarding that a lot. So Nick being constantly told by people that there's something between him and Abi and being asked when he'll make a move all that kinda thing, has all these mixed up feelings about Abi. She's his best friend, and he thinks that he should be feeling more but I don't think there's any actual romantic feelings there. Abi also has a similar internal struggle of "feelings" for Nick. But they both end up realizing that they're bisexual at summer camp >:)
I also have in mind some parallels between Nick and Max, both of them being people of faith being cut off from the connection to their God via the werewolf curse. Also Max being devoted to his goddess because finding her saved his life versus Nick who serves his God out of obligation really. Idk nothing super concrete it's just interesting parallels in my head
Siren Worlock Chaotic/Neutral
Emma Mountebank
So Emma is a warlock, and I wanted to work in her being an influencer into part of this, that's where I got this idea. So her patron is essentially like her audience. It is a collective of multiple consciousnesses. She calls it chat; it manifests as this little floating wisp that follows her around. And she talks to it, but only she can understand it, only she can hear it. So she often gets weird looks when she's just having what appears to be a one-sided conversation with this little ball of light. So, because of their pact, a lot of Emma's decisions, including why she's here as a counselor in the first place, are driven by what would be most entertaining to her patron(s).
Laura Kearney
Elf Rogue Lawful/Neutral
Laura is not that different from canon. She's just a little more vengeful. Because not only is Max afflicted with werewolf curse but also because of that has completely lost connection to his goddess. And Laura true to form is fully ready to go kill people to fix that.
I am thinking, though, how she and Max met was that she got pretty beat up and nearly died, and he was the one who saved her (cause like healing magic because cleric) and the rest is history kind of moment. I think it's cute. Also, like because she's a rogue, she's always clung to the shadows, and no one's really noticed her until Max. ( I adore these two so much and I need their love story to be so, so, cheesy.) Anyway, Laura would kill thousands just for Max, and he would rewrite the stars just for her.
Elf Cleric Lawful/Good
Max Brinly
Max is a cleric to the moon goddess. (I haven't decided yet exactly what the situation is but I want to do something like Selune and Shar from D&D basically there's a deity for the light side of the moon as well as a deity for the dark side of the moon) Max's goddesses is of the light side of the Moon. His relationship with this goddess is so important to him. As a matter of fact, the reason they were traveling a night early was specifically because it was a full moon. Max figured it would have been the best time for them to travel because his goddess would guide them and keep them safe. Which is why it's so awful that he got infected. Also, because, as mentioned previously, the curse cuts off his connection to his goddess even when it's not the full moon. And this is devastating for him. (I hate to do this to Max cuz I love him so much, but it's also so interesting story-wise)
OK, so two big important pieces of information, one, Eliza, Silas, and the rest of Harum Scarum, are Drow (dark elves) and they left the Underdark to find a cure for Silas. And they started doing their travelling shows so they could make money, so they could meet their basic needs while they searched the lands for a cure. Two, the Hacketts are all humans, and very distrusting of other beings and magic. Fear of the unknown and all that. They've loosened up a bit on their feelings surrounding magic because Chris was magically gifted from a young age, though nobody knows why. Chris has spent a lot of his time honing his skills, learning, and understanding how his magic works. He's always wanted to help and to teach people, hence why he started the summer camp. That's his project, and the rest of his family doesn't really get involved. With the exception of his kids, of course. The whole story of how the Hackett family fell under the curse is essentially the same. Kaylee and Caleb tried to “rescue” Silas and got infected in the process. The fire still happened, all of that is the same.
✨Overview time ✨
I haven't decided what happens that keeps the counselors stuck at camp during the night of the full moon. (But I will update once I’ve figured that out)
Also, there are definitely some gay shenanigans with Ryan and Dylan because, of course there are. I'm currently trying to figure out an equivalent to the radio hut scene.
Anyway, this is what I have so far. I will be posting art for this soon. Thanks for reading.
everyone talks abt how funny it is when chris says "you shot me? i'm telling mom" but my contender for funniest hackett line is bobby right after being stabbed just going "DAAAAAAAD"
